HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL: Allentown blanks Lawrence

LAWRENCE — It was sort of a so-so showing for the Allentown in its 6-0 victory over Lawrence on Monday.

After getting no hits in a loss to Mt. St, Dominic on Saturday, the Redbirds (4-1) did collect 10 hits against Lawrence’s Sara Bielamowicz, a nice young sophomore pitcher On the other hand, the Redbirds also struck out 10 times, with many of those K’s coming from the top hitters in their lineup.

“We’ve just been inconsistent so far,” said Allentown coach Bob Dubina. “The Mt. St. Dominic pitcher was good, but nothing we haven’t seen before. We’re inconsistent right now.”

The last time Allentown played Lawrence, of course, it produced a monumental upset when the Cards prevailed in the first round of the state tournament en route to their stunning march to last year’s state semifinals.

For two innings Monday it looked like another Lawrence victory just might be possible, but then Allentown took total control with four runs in the third.

No. 9 batter and freshman Kayla Peterson started the inning with a single to give Allentown its first hit in at least nine innings. Following a pop-up by Bryana Smith, Kristina Kinsey got down a bunt single and Lawrence committed an infield error.

With the bases now loaded and none out, Erin Drennan got the first run of the game home when she was hit by a pitch. This led to a smoked two-run double in the left-center field gap by hard-hitting junior first baseman Chelsea Turner. The fourth run in the inning came on a RBI bunt single by Erica Nugent on a squeeze.

With Hayley Peterson in the circle, that was more than enough run production. The Allentown junior righty, who did not pitch against Mt. St. Dominic Saturday, finished with a two-hitter and six strikeouts.

The first Lawrence hit came on a single by Gina Gutierrez in the third, but that inning ended when Turner made a nice catch down the right-field line near the fence. The other Lawrence hit was a single by Bielamowicz in the seventh.

By that point the Allentown lead was to 6-0 after it scored two more in the sixth inning. A bunt single by Dominique Galipo got the inning started, followed by the second of two hits by Kayla Peterson. On Peterson’s hit, the ball got away from an outfielder and Galipo scored from first.

Also in the sixth inning, Allentown got another run home on a bunt by Kinsey. Pinch-hitter Abby Stroud also blasted a double to left, although that hit did not figure in the scoring.

Lawrence is now 1-4, but the Cardinals are not a bad team and is working hard. Following the game, first-year Lawrence coach Krystina Maloney had her team take fielding practice.

As for Allentown, it plays at Nottingham on Wednesday before hosting Notre Dame on Friday in a match-up of Colonial Valley Conference powers.